AITKIN - A 62-year-old Aitkin man died Wednesday night after being pulled from the water on Gun Lake in central Aitkin County.
He had been operating his all-terrain vehicle on the lake when it broke through the ice that was only about 1-inch thick in that location.
At 3:36 p.m. Wednesday, the Aitkin County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call reporting that someone had broken through the ice and was in the water. Aitkin County deputies arrived on the scene at 3:51 p.m. and initiated rescue efforts on the lake about 300 yards from shore. Darrel Edward Piispanen was removed from the lake about 15 minutes later in about 6 to 7 feet of water.
After being pulled from the water, Piispanen was transported to the Riverwood Health Care Center in Aitkin where he was later pronounced dead.
Ice conditions in that area varied greatly from in excess of 6 inches to that 1 inch depth, the sheriff's office reported.
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Sheriff's deputies, as well as personnel from the McGregor Ambulance, North Memorial Ambulance, Palisade Fire Department, McGregor Fire Department and Mille Lacs Band Police Department responded to the call.
